Please help protect Louisiana Horse Racing

Several news outlets reported yesterday that Senator Mitch McConnell is promoting a “legislative correction” to the HISA laws now that a federal appeals court has concluded it is Unconstitutional. Once again, McConnell plans to bypass the normal process that would allow hearing and debate on his legislation by attaching his “fix” to a “Must Pass” bill such as a year ending spending bill. This path is like the way McConnell slipped the current law into Covid Relief legislation in 2020.

The Louisiana State Racing Commission (LSRC) has regulated horse racing in Louisiana for over a century. The LSRC is in the unique position to know what is best for Louisiana racing and Louisiana racing participants. The Commission and our Louisiana legislators work with industry participants to formulate laws and rules which protect our horses and jockeys and create a fair playing field for all participants.

The Louisiana HBPA urges all industry participants to contact your U.S. House Representative and your U.S. Senators (contact information provided below) and voice your opposition to these “back room” deals that circumvent your right to be heard. Specifically, ask your congressmen to block any effort by HISA for another quick fix that got us in this mess in the first place. Our horsemen’s representative wants to work with ALL parties for new, sensible legislation that allows our jobs-heavy industry and related agribusiness to thrive and improve, rather than to choke from ill-advised legislation snuck through by a well-financed minority.

You can use this link to identify and contact your Representative:
https://www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative

Contact information for the U.S. Senators from Louisiana is:
Senator John Kennedy
https://www.kennedy.senate.gov/public/
416 Russell Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Office number 202-224-4623

Senator Bill Cassidy
https://www.cassidy.senate.gov
520 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, DC 20510
Office number 202-224-5824

Those who believe HISA is fatally flawed and will be ruinous to the horse-racing industry should feel free to use any or all of the message below in emails we encourage you to send ALL your Congressional representatives ASAP. (Info below on how to send an email to your U.S. House Representative and your U.S. Senators.) You should feel free to use your own words. But let your federal representatives know how bad this has been. Your words are powerful!

"The 5th Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the Horseracing Integrity & Safety Act (passed when slipped into the year-end omnibus in 2020) is unconstitutional. I agree. HISA was created with an extremely expensive quick fix and the result has been not only a trampling on the Constitution and mass confusion but a serious threat to the existence of smaller racetracks and a likelihood of ruining many racehorse owners and trainers - as well as the small businesses that depend on horsemen — out of business. This new bureaucracy’s crushing costs are being passed on to tracks and horsemen with no transparency and no significant representation. An industry as complex and wide-ranging as ours cannot be done expeditiously. It must be done strategically and with input from the industry as a whole. Please block any effort by HISA for another quick fix that got us in this mess in the first place. Our horsemen’s representatives want to work with ALL parties for new, sensible legislation that allows our jobs-heavy industry and related agribusiness to thrive and improve, rather than to choke from ill-advised legislation snuck through by a well-financed minority. We appreciate your support." -- Eric Hamelback and the National HBPA

You can use this link below to identify and send an email message to your Congressional Representative: www.house.gov/representatives/find-your-representative. You can also call one of your Congressman and Senators’ offices and leave a message either as a voice mail or to a staffer that you oppose HISA and Congress should block attempts to salvage it with a "quick fix" which will not solve the problems.

Here’s a link to find and contact your two U.S. Senators: www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

The Fair Grounds updated the LAHBPA, at a meeting held on Tuesday November 30, 2022, regarding the status of their turf course and their ongoing efforts to rehabilitate the course. Fair Grounds assured the LAHBPA they are taking all actions necessary to return the course to operation as soon as possible, with the goal of resuming turf races before the end of December. Please check back for further updates.

Click here to read the article from the NHBPA

The 2022 Claiming Crown will be held at Churchill Downs on November 12, 2022.

Click here for more information